1. Know where they are going in both life and career, work on your Vision and Goals it will set a clear path and focus

 

2. Identify and understand your strengths and how these can be used to your benefit in differentiate yourself in the job market and career

 

3. Seek the feedback and input of others, how is your brand perceived by others, is there consistency across all groups and where do you need to do more to raise your brand profile.

 

4. Know your target audience from an industry standpoint but also from an individual – who do you need to talk to and influence and where are those people likely to gather.

 

5. Understand who else and what else might be competing for the same job or promotion. Know what is similar about them and also identify why you are different, how you can positively stand out.

 

6. Develop a personal brand statement that can be used in various situations and opportunities – one for 15 seconds, one for 45 seconds and one that can be used in written communications and on profiles such as LinkedIn etc.

 

7. Have a brand identity – project the right, consistent image both physically but also in terms of font, colour, business cards, thank you notes, voicemail messages etc.

 

8. Understand how you can best communicate your message, what is relevant for your target audience but also how and what do you feel comfortable in delivering.

 

9. Decide on the key content themes for all communication, provide a strong and consistent message in a few avenues versus the scatter gun approach.

 

10. Be clear about who you are, what you offer and why you are different – know what is on brand and off brand for you and concentrate on the on brand actions.

 

11. Don’t get involved in actions that can dilute your brand, be consistent with your approach and message.

 

12. Be sure to be in front of your audience constantly, it takes 7 touches or exposures to catch someone’s attention, be sure that continue to be front of mind for your target audience.

 

13. Never miss an opportunity to connect your brand to the last experience. After a meeting always send a thank you or at the absolute least an e-mail, that is on brand, meet people in places that are on brand for you.

14. Identify all of the possible things to include in your brand environment and make a plan to get them all on brand. Aligning your environment with your brand will make you more confident and more memorable.

 

15. Re-activate old relationships, better to do it before you need them than call on them just because you need their help right then and there.

 

16. Continually nurture and develop your network, your professional contacts are an extension of your brand and may well be your greatest brand ambassadors – treat them that way.

 

17. Your brand is never stagnant it is always evolving, be on top of its development and refinement – never miss an opportunity to be more on brand.

 

18. Build your on line brand with passion. Look to place intelligent and valuable comment on line in forums, on blogs, at book reviews – each one becomes a new page on the web and raises your on line profile.

 

19. Understand that building a brand is not just for now or just in times of recession, its something that can be continuous for the rest of your life – it needs to be part of your daily routine, a little brand building every day will ensure a healthy brand.

 

20. Review and measure your brand strength annually – conduct a brand audit and compare the state of your brand now to where it was 12 months ago.

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Paul Copcutt is HigherBracket's personal brand consultant, combining a passion for people with a realization that strengths and specialization are the keys to success. Experiencing corporate downsizing during the last recession, Paul knows what it takes to stand out in a depressed job market. This resulted in his gathering successful experience in biotech (with no degree or science qualifications), consumer goods and executive recruitment in North America and Europe.

Recognised by Forbes as a leading personal brand strategist globally he is a much sought after speaker and media resource, interviewed by Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and regularly appears in The Globe & Mail.

He is also passionate about the next generation being informed and inspired to personally brand themselves successfully and seeks corporately sponsored opportunities to get that message in to schools, colleges and universities that will enable him to reach a million students in the next 10 years.
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